RHUBARB STRAWBERRY PIE

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

Blink and its gone!

(Don’t care what the vanilla has ‘bean’…what is it now??) I am on my first day of leave and the fragrance of a Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie with Vanilla Bean Pastry is wafting through the air as I write. It is almost done and smells absolutely divine…supposedly serving it tomorrow…but that smell is mouth watering, so we shall see! The strawbs are well and truly in at the farm near me and we love it! We probably spend an inordinate amount on strawberries, but no one is complaining, least of all me! The rhubarb was so stunning at the markets that I could not help myself, what beautiful colors!
I had planned to post my raw chocolate truffles, (yes Helen, just for you!) but that rhubarb seduced me! As we power up towards Christmas…going to need to pull out all the stops…also re doing my website, so stay tuned for some big beautiful changes soon! Oh ~ and by the way, I won the judging competition, my answers were as close to the professionals as possible, (whatever that means!!) I have yet to pick up my hamper of goodies…will keep you posted! SO: to the very delicious pie.

NEED:
600-700g rhubarb washed and chopped
100g sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 punnet strawberries hulled and halved
Pastry;
50g sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
200g cold butter cubed
380g plain flour
a little ice cold water as needed

DO:
Place rhubarb, sugar and vanilla bean into Thermomix bowl and add a little water to Thermomix bowl. Cook for 12 minutes at 100°C on Reverse + speed soft. Remove vanilla bean, dry and reserve for another use. Allow to cool completely.
Make pastry by placing sugar and 1/2 vanilla bean into Thermomix bowl and milling together for 10 seconds on speed 10.
Add butter and flour and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6 until resembles bread crumbs and is starting to come together.
Add water through hole in lid while you continue to mix on Interval speed. As soon as the dough starts to form a ball, stop and remove pastry from bowl onto lightly floured baking mat.
Divide into two, a bigger portion for the base and roll out to line a deep pie dish. (20-23cm diameter)
Place in freezer for 20 minutes.
Fill with cooked rhubarb and stud with strawberries. Roll out top and crimp edges. Cut a small cross in the center of the pie to allow steam to escape and cook in pre heated 190°C oven for 30 minutes until golden. Your pastry will have a peppered look, which is a result of the vanilla bean. If you prefer not to have that look, use vanilla extract instead.
It is a deliciously short pastry, and yes, we made it to Sunday before eating the pie, and eaten cold, the pastry was simply like eating a shortbread with a sweet but tangy filling…food superlatives escape me!

As you can see, there was not a lot left as soon as the first cut was made…would have fancied a piece of that tomorrow, but my fellow resort goers will thank me as I lay around the pool next week…yes just rubbing it in! I’M ON LEAVE!